Baked Haddock

Ryan and I loved the flaky, tasty, and light piece of fish this recipe created. But we didn't love the way our house smelled afterwards. I'd recommend making it on a day with the windows open, OR, as I discovered, have a batch of brownies ready to go in the oven to clear the air!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground dried thyme
1-2 haddock fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
In a small bowl, combine the milk and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and thyme. Dip the haddock fillets in the milk, then press into the crumb mixture to coat. Place haddock fillets in a glass baking dish, and drizzle with melted butter.
Bake on the top rack of the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes.

Sel de Mer Act II: Dinner

So, as mentioned in my previous post about brunch at Sel de Mer, we were so impressed, we wanted to give dinner a shot ASAP. So, the other night, cold and windy and icy, seemed perfect for some fish n' chips and other hearty sea fare. And Sel de Mer did not disappoint!

We had some really lovely glasses of wine- Ryan tried a special Beaujolais, and I had one of the tastiest glasses of Albarino I've come across in some time. Albarino is a light spanish white wine, almost a little bubbly, and this one had really nice citrus notes.

For appetizers, I ordered a warm beet salad. I have to admit I am a sucker for this dish: if it is on a menu, I am pretty much going to order it. Usually it contains all my favorite things- beets, arugula, spinach, or field greens- and often goat cheese. I've had my fair share of good, and I've had my fair share of meh. This one comes out near or at the top of the list. The beets were sweet and delicious, and the greens nice and peppery. My only complaint was there was a bit too much cheese, but it was easy enough to leave it on the plate.

Ryan ordered the lobster mac n' cheese- it was delicious, but very rich. I am not a fan of lobster, and though I did not try the meat, I tasted the noodles and it was delicious. The flavor was great.

For our entrees, I ordered the fish n' chips, which was awesome. super light and flaky and the batter was just right. The best part of course was the malt vinegar. Ryan had the mussels in white wine and garlic, and they were "really good. Really good." Locally, Ryan has declared them the best in the 'hood"- high honors.

Overall, the tab wasn't bad- not cheap, but in step with what we see for dinner for 2 with appetizers and drinks. $85.

Craigie-On-Main

Oh, what a fond farewell to Boston. Well, Cambridge, really. Thanks to the recommendation of a foodie friend and fellow grad student (Thanks CASEY!), Ry, Jon, and I went to Craigie-On-Main for a feast of a feast. The restaurant is known for local, organic, fresh food, with a menu that changes daily to reflect what is seasonal and best at the market. They also offer several tasting menus, including one for vegetarians!!

We originally planned to do a six-course tasting ($90), vegetarian for me, and meat and fish for the boys. But after the third phenomenal course, Jon asked the waiter if we could go gung-ho and do the full ten ($115). Oh yeah, we also just HAD to get a side of the bone marrow (more on that later), meaning we were full-on gut busters. By course seven, I'm pretty sure Ryan could hardly even look at the food, but oh it was worth it. A play by play:

Course 1: Trio of fish/ Trio of vegetables:
Both dishes were very light, refreshing, and definitely the way 'amuse bouche' should be: a total tease. My trio featured lily bulbs in a rice wine vinegar, a red beet slaw/salad, and one that alas I can't remember. The boys had squid noodles, a piece of sashimi, and a clam that was fried- and delish. I was really impressed with how the vegetarian dish parodied the flavors and look of the fish trio!

Course 2: Avocado salad/ sashimi and avocado salad
I seem to recall this was when the real fireworks began. The description from the website: red onion-shiso salsa, avocado, harissa-rose vinaigrette. It was awesome! I couldn't identify all the flavors, but there was a really nice citrus/acid and yet a slightly spicy flavor- which is the harissa, most likely.



Course 3: Grilled hearts of palm with a ramp puree for me, and a light, white fish with a great skin for Ry & Jon. There was some debate on this course for the boys, Ry thought the fish was slightly overdone, but Jon did not find it so. Either way, this is a great place to mention the phenomenal service- constant attention and amazing table side presentation of every dish. The executive chef and owner even presented our final course (how cool is that!?) Also, two delish bottles of wine, one suggested by the staff- a white Gruner Vetliner($65) and a bottle of red cairanne from the rhone ($41), rounded out an amazing experience!



Course 4: spring vidalia onion soup with comte grilled cheese, olive oil and ramps
This might have been the holy crap course, at least IMHO. Dipping the grilled cheese in the savory, creamy, and sweet onion soup was seriously a bite of heaven.



course 5: lamb meatballs for the boys and pasta with cheese curds (sounds bad, tasted AMAZING)- I really enjoyed my pasta course- but the boys were probably the least into their lamb course. The lamb was spiced with a moroccan or persian blend- including cinnamon, which just isn't the flavors we love. High quality, but not our taste...

course 6: Ragoût of Forest Mushrooms, farro verde, farm-fresh poached egg (Divine, like OMG- it sliced open and spilled out like a dream), ramp purée, herbs and flowers and rabbit and lamb sausage and blood sausage (for the boys)

This dish I can not do justice to in this description. When I cut open the egg the runny yoke to spill out, filling the bowl like a soup. Little purple flowers and microgreens, and mushrooms were all soooo flavorful and savory- it was so rich, we could only eat a bite or two at a time, and would then have to sit for a while... probably one of the best dishes I have ever had.




course 7: pork 3 ways: spicy rubbed rib, pork belly, and pork confit/
Four Grain Pilaf and Haroseth-Stuffed Vidalia Onion maitake mushrooms, spring farm vegetables, sorrel purée
"The rib was unreal- tender, but crispy outside... yummy" says Ry. "The confit was like velvet"
On the other hand, this was probably my least favorite dish, and the only one I wont dream of every night of my life- though I did love the sorrel puree of veggies on the side, the pilaf once again featured the persian spice and cinnamon that just isn't my thing. The onion itself was incredibly tasty!

And because that just wasn't enough food:


Side Dish: roasted marrow

-The vegetarian confesses: marrow is one of my favorite gourmet treats and I just could not resist. The size of this bone was ridiculous- way bigger than any I've ever come across- and with a piece of toast... oh man. I could see myself sitting at the bar with a glass of red wine, the soup and the marrow and being in my glory. Don't be thrown off by the idea, it is like... the best butter in the world.... with lots of salt...

Desserts:

course 8: panna cotta with jasmine and mandarin orange

course 9: peanut butter parfait and banana rice pudding and pina colada ice cream

course 10: shot of hot cocoa with smoky mexican peppers


Final thoughts:
I really, really needed a veg experience like this one! I have been feeling both some cravings and the stress of eating out while maintaining my vegetarian/ whole food diet. It was tough especially when I was home in MA and PA with our families- a lot of restaurants only offered a veggie burger, maybe a cheese quesadilla, and a side salad as "vegetarian". Here, I think my tasting out- shined the meat and fish, even. I went a solid 5 courses declaring that the dish was the best I'd ever had. The food felt inspired, and never like my dish was merely the sides or garnish with the meat left off. Best of all, several staff members came to chat about my experience, as they don't get to do the vegetarian as much as they like! YAY! It really showed me that I CAN be a gourmet foodie and a vegetarian- something I was really beginning to doubt.

If you live within 2 hours of this place, get thee to Craigie on Main!

Cod with lemon, rosemary, and olive oil

So last night I was very very brave- and tried grilled fish. It might not sound that crazy, but you have to understand that I'm one of those... bread it & fry it or for god's sake at least put some hot sauce on it-type fish eaters. In other words... I generally like to cloak my fish in other flavors, so going for the grill was a big leap. My beloved worked very hard to make a tasty treat, and I must say, the raw ingredients got me pretty excited. Garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary, red bell pepper....and then he pulled out the fish, which I did not love the smell of as much. (I'm trying!) BUT I have to say, the final product was extremely tasty!

Cod or other white fish filet
fresh sprigs of rosemary (dill)
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
red bell pepper (cherry tomato)
lemon
salt & pepper

In a tinfoil pouch, mix together all the goodness. Grill for about 15 minutes.

Serve with haricot verts and red new potatoes!!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

This is probably one of the easiest and quickest recipes in our arsenal, and has a ton of flavor! Great for a weeknight. In 15 minutes or less, a delicious meal! We like to serve it with two of our favorite "cheats"- le seur canned peas (the creme de la creme of canned goods!) and instant mashed potatoes. Yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but Ry & I both LOVE the flaky, artificial, chemically created goodness that comes from a box of instant spuds. Some people think caviar for special occasions, we think instant mashed potatoes. To each their own.

Anyway, onto the main course:

This recipe is for 2 fillets:

Set oven to "broil"

In a bowl, combine:

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated pecorino cheese
1/8 cup softened butter (2 tblsp)
1 and 1/2 tblsp mayo
squeeze of lemon juice
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp basil, parsley, oregano, bay leaf, celery salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper
dash paprika

Mix all ingredients until they form a paste.

Arrange fillets and broil 2-3 minutes per side.
Cover with mixture and broil an additional 2 minutes, until topping browns and fish easily flakes.

Serve with wedges of lemon and sprigs of fresh parsley.

Fish Tacos with Adobo Mayo and Slaw

This recipe has all my favorite things: lime, chipotle, more lime, adobo pepper, even more lime... It's a bit work intensive, but well worth it for the flavors.

2 tilapia filets
1/2 cup lime juice

Marinate the tilapia for 2-3 hours in the lime juice

Glaze:

1/3 cup lime juice
honey- 2 tblsp
veg oil 1 tblsp
cumin- 1 tsp

Mix glaze in small bowl and set aside.

Mayonnaise:
1 adobo pepper (If dried, heat @ 400 for 5 minutes, remove stems and seeds and soak in hot water)
2-3 chipotle peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic
1/3 tsp cayenne
squeeze lime

Blend mayo ingredients in cuisinart until smooth, adjusting chipotle pepper and other seasonings to taste.

Slaw:
shredded red/ white cabbage
shredded carrots
shredded kohlrabi
Shredded
rice wine vinegar
cilantro
lime
adobo mayo (see above)

Mix slaw and other ingredients in a bowl, set aside.

Cook fish, either grilling or in a pan. We like to bread it with flour and italian bread crumbs, salt and pepper, and cook it in the pan. After finished cooking, glaze each piece with glaze mixture, and cut into small pieces.

To make tacos:
pre-heat tortillas in oven.

Place handful of slaw, pieces of the fish, and a dollop of mayo in tortilla, sprinkle with cilantro.

We like to serve this dish with yellow rice, margaritas, and our favorite salsas!!!

Oh yeah, and a garnish of... lime.